


Pygmalion

by fruitbat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate School, Gen, Harry runs away, Ilvermorny, Independent Harry Potter, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, emancipation, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitbat/pseuds/fruitbat
Summary: After figuring out that he's a wizard, Harry expects great things from himself, his magic, and the place he'll go to school - which won't be Hogwarts! Harry gets motivated andrefusesto go to Hogwarts.ThePygmalioneffect is the phenomenon whereby others' expectations of a target person affect the target person's performance. The opposite of the pygmalion effect is the golem effect, in which low expectations lead to a decrease in performance; both are forms of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 285





	1. A change and a chance

The **Pygmalion effect** is the phenomenon whereby others' expectations of a target person affect the target person's performance. The opposite of the pygmalion effect is the golem effect, in which low expectations lead to a decrease in performance; both are forms of self-fulfilling prophecy.

* * *

Harry stared down at his cousin's slack-jawed expression with similar astonishment.

"You're in for it now, Freak!" Dudley shouted at him as the group ran off to tattle.

Harry looked for some way to get down, but he didn't have the arm strength climb down a drain pipe or the athleticism to jump off a one-story building without hurting himself.

Harry almost gave up, but then he remembered his cousin's parting shot. He'd gotten himself up here, right? It couldn't have been the wind.

Harry desperately tried to teleport. After a minute, growing anxious at the thought of needing to be rescued by ladder and his uncle's reaction when the school called him, he shouted in frustration, "I am not a _f_ _reak_!"

POP!

Harry gasped as he was suddenly teleported to the ground on the other side of the school. Somehow, nobody had noticed his sudden appearance. Harry quickly weaved around a few students, carefully making sure a teacher noticed him, before he sat down on the ground.

Well, now he had an alibi so at least he probably wouldn't get suspended again. That wouldn't matter to his aunt and uncle, though, who always believed every stupid thing to fall out of Dudley's mouth no matter what the truth was.

They probably knew the truth, he realized. He bit his cheek as tears sprung in his eyes. Of course that would explain why they hated him. He shook his head to clear it. What did it matter if he knew he was a freak? It changed nothing. The Dursleys had always hated him, the teachers thought he was a pathological liar, and the neighbors thought he was a thief.

When he really thought about it, the Dursleys had warned the teachers and neighbors about him and Dudley's habit of blaming him quickly cemented Harry's reputation as a troublemaker. If only he didn't live with the Dursleys, then nobody would know he was a freak and maybe things would be better.

He wasn't stupid enough to run away. He knew that he would have no way to keep himself fed and sheltered, not to mention he had no way to keep himself safe. The situation with the Dursleys wasn't _that_ bad.

It might have been better to get caught on the roof after all, Harry thought a few hours later. He hadn't realized that _Dudley_ would get into trouble with the school for lying and causing a panic. The male Dursleys' reactions had also been much, much worse than he'd anticipated. Dudley hadn't waited until he was home to point the finger at Harry and if the Headmaster hadn't been standing right there Uncle Vernon probably would've strangled him on the spot. Harry hadn't gone into the office with them, but he had clearly heard Uncle Vernon's belligerent shouting towards the Headmaster which ended with Dudley getting suspended for the first time ever instead of a few detentions. Aunt Petunia was usually the calm, calculating one but she had gone on a girls' day trip with her friends, leaving Harry and Dudley to face Vernon's terrible temper (although, aside from one frightening moment, that anger wasn't directly aimed at Dudley).

By the time they got in the car, Harry had changed his mind about how bad his situation was with the Dursleys. Dudley wisely kept redirecting his father's fury towards Harry and, as Uncle Vernon eyed him in the mirror with barely-contained rage, he was forced to reconsider running away. Food? Harry was about to get a Punishment so he was already going to go without for a week and who knew when they'd calm down enough to let him sit at the table again. He'd probably get the same amount of food scavenging bins as he would at the Dursleys'. Shelter? How was a cardboard box all that different from his tiny cupboard? At least he could leave whenever he wanted to. Safety? He probably wouldn't be safe, but he preferred the vague idea of danger to the immediate threat. He had also his new freakish teleportation and maybe he could use it to pop away from danger.

Harry had made up his mind and, as the car slowed down to turn into Little Whinging, Harry jumped out. He stumbled, but desperately kept moving. He was afraid Uncle Vernon would turn the car around and try to grab him. Harry ran as fast as could, zig-zagging down the street as cars honked at him. He was aiming for the small woods that separated the three small neighborhoods. As he reached the sidewalk, Harry glanced over his shoulder. Uncle Vernon had pulled over and gotten out, but he was yelling into his carphone and not chasing Harry.

Harry grinned. Even if the police came after him, they wouldn't find him. Harry tucked himself behind a tree and thought hard about where he should go.

POP!

Harry appeared exactly where he'd been hoping. Although it had only been an hour since school ended, the Magnolia Park Primary School library was deserted and locked up. He couldn't be here in the morning when the school janitors started work, but it was a safe place to stay for the night and Harry knew that there were no security cameras in the library. Continuing his education, albeit informally, was a bonus. Harry sat his schoolbag on a table and pulled out his worksheets.

A few days later, Harry had settled into a routine. Early in the morning Harry popped away from the school library to the small woods. From there he walked to the public library (which did have cameras) in Wisteria Way. The first time he went in one of the librarians had asked why he wasn't at school, but Harry had quickly said he was homeschooled and needed to use a computer for one of his new classes. The librarian set him up with a library card and taught him how to log onto the computer then left him alone after that. Harry made sure to use the computer for at least an hour and found a free educational website that made it look like he was taking a real class. Harry then spent an hour on each school subject until noon when he left to get lunch (which he scrounged from bins). He spent another hour at the park before walking back to the public library to study until four when he left to go 'home'. When he teleported from the woods to the school, he first dug into the bins for food from the cafeteria that had been thrown out (kids threw away a _lot_ of untouched food, even unwrapped home-made sandwiches that he pocketed for breakfast). After a surprisingly satisfying dinner, Harry popped into the school library. Since he spent his whole day studying, Harry used this time to read fiction before he went to sleep curled up in one of the large armchairs around the library's games table. He used the other chairs' cushions as makeshift sort of blankets.

On Saturday the school was closed and although some people showed up to the school to work, the library remained locked and Harry was able to sleep in and relax. A few hours after he woke up he heard a distinct pop that had him jumping to his feet. It sounded exactly the same as his teleportation. Harry strained to hear anything. After a moment he dared to peek out of one of the windows, having to stand on his tiptoes to see over the cheesy school-themed art that was painted directly on the lower half of the windows. He saw a man in a long buttoned-up black trenchcoat waving a stick (a wand, he thought dumbly) and heading in the direction of the school doors.

Harry wasn't stupid. He had been struggling to explain the strange events that seemed to happen around him for a long time. He had never dared question his aunt and uncle about it and had tried to dismiss the weird events with logic the way his aunt usually did when his uncle and cousin weren't around. However, his uncle's overuse of the word freakishness when punishing Harry combined with the Dursleys' refusal to let Dudley trick-or-treat or watch anything on the telly that mentioned magic had given Harry some suspicions. Now, here was an obvious witch as evidence (with an ugly, hooked nose even). Harry could conclude that he was probably a witch (or wizard?) himself.

He quickly wrenched his thoughts to important matters. This witch/wizard person was here, where he was hiding, probably looking for him. Harry focused really hard on teleporting silently and appeared in the woods. There was another witch, this one an older woman in robes. Luckily, they were facing away from him. Fighting down panic, Harry silently teleported to a place he'd only been once. London.

He appeared in the alley exactly as he hoped, although it wasn't empty. A homeless man startled then appeared to shrug it off as a hallucination and curled back up in his blankets. Harry quickly left, unsure how easily and fast the witches could find him.

He needed a way to hide from them. He didn't know how he was going to achieve that though. Deciding that staying in motion would help, Harry started walking, making sure to cross the street and change direction every so often. Two hours later, Harry saw yet another witch. Before he could panic, the witch went into a dumpy little pub without so much as a glance in his direction. Curious in spite of himself, Harry followed.

'The Leaky Cauldron' was a large old-fashioned pub filled with witches and wizards. The old man behind the bar was the only one to look at Harry. "Diagon Alley?" he asked, gesturing to the back door.

Harry had no idea what that was, but he didn't want anyone realizing that he wasn't supposed to be here. He nodded and followed the man outside to a small courtyard. The man pulled out a wand and started tapping bricks.

"There you go, lad. If you haven't been yet, Gringotts Wizarding Bank is straight ahead, white building. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask. My name's Tom."

"Thank you, sir," Harry replied automatically. He watched with wide eyes as the bricks rearranged to form an opening into a large shopping area that was packed with witches and wizards. Harry started walking, gaping at all the stores' wares and the casual displays of magic. The large, white building Tom mentioned was easily visible. It was made out of marble three stories high which towered over the shops, somehow leaning in all different directions which reminded him of a funhouse mirror. Harry changed his mind about having a quick look when he saw the intimidating creatures guarding the doors.

He wandered into the bookstore instead, browsing several different sections and reading the titles with fascination before he hit paydirt. Harry didn't know what a 'Muggleborn' was, but an 'introduction to magic' sounded about right what he needed. Harry didn't know how they felt about people who read without buying so Harry took the thin book upstairs and sat behind a low shelf where nobody seemed to go.

 _In the United Kingdom muggleborns and their muggle (non-magical) parents_ _are given late notice when informed about the existence of magic the summer after the child has had their eleventh birthday. The wholly insufficient introduction is usually done by the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,_ _a boarding school which accepts students at the age of eleven for seven years of schooling in magic-only related subjects (forgoing any sciences, British or world history, and even excluding all muggle literature from Hogwarts' library)_ _. Ministry Law requires all muggleborns to attend at least one year of magical schooling which is enough time for their wand to bond to their magical core, dramatically lowering any chances of accidental magic. Muggleborns in the UK that leave the Wizarding World, either permanently or to seek a muggle education, must take binding oaths never to practice magic while under the wizard age of majority of seventeen and also never to reveal magic to any muggle which includes their parents who are Obliviated (memory-wiped) to protect the Stature of Secrecy._

The entire book was written in a scathing tone and highlighted all the disadvantages, misinformation, inequality, and prejudices that muggleborns were subjected to in the Wizarding World (particularly in the UK). Harry suspected that the author was one of those muggleborns that chose to leave after their first year of Hogwarts as the book made several negative remarks towards the school well before the dedicated chapter about Hogwarts (the self-proclaimed finest school of magic).

 _Hogwarts has only seven required subjects, any of which up to a total of four can be dropped after fifth year: Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Astronomy. Starting third year, students are required to sign up for two to three electives, all of which can be dropped at any point after the first quarter (despite the fact_ _students still need special permission to add or switch an elective). Hogwarts offers five electives: Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Muggle Studies. For a supposedly prestigious school, Hogwarts offers the lowest number of classes and electives of any magical school in the world. Tellingly, Hogwarts has few clubs and Quidditch is its only sport._

 _In addition to the low quantity, Hogwarts' quality has been on a slow decline for the last two centuries and experienced a rapid dive in more recent years. The only subjects that are now taught at a level comparable to other schools are Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology. The standards for an A (the lowest pass) in most of the other subjects' O.W.L.s (A levels) has been lowered in the past ten years due to students' inability to pass despite allegedly achieving_ _good marks in the classroom. The worst offending classes have in fact had the standards lowered twice and have scant attendance in sixth and seventh year: Potions, DADA, and History of Magic. The least popular elective despite consistent O.W.L.s is Muggle Studies which is_ _several decades out of date, offers little practical knowledge, and may be considered harmful for its patronizing views towards non-magicals. Most of Hogwarts' N.E.W.T.s (the exams taken at graduation) have not met the International Confederation of Wizards' standard in over fifteen years and many graduates who work outside of Britain are forced to pay a fee to take a new set of exams and must pay additional fees to file their new test scores. Some countries, such as America and Japan, will only accept N.E.W.T.s from their own country regardless of the ICW standard._

Harry ignored the tables of data marking Hogwarts students' class attendance and test scores over the last fifty years and skipped to the next chapter which contained a list of other schools. Harry quickly noticed that almost every country in the world was purported to be more muggleborn-friendly than the UK with a few exceptions. Since Harry only spoke English, he focused his attention on America, Canada, and Australia.

 _Since its early conception the_ _Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) has enforced very strict laws regarding no-majs (non-magicals) and the Statue of Secrecy. Despite the strictness and paperwork ad nauseam, the United States of America is perhaps the best move for muggleborns as the country does not generally distinguish between muggleborns and purebloods, refering to the children of no-majs_ _as 'first-gens' if necessary but the term is typically unused. 'Half-blood' is another unused term that has been taken to refer to a half-human as witches and wizards do not obsess over supposed pureblood status. This marked decrease of prejudice is often attributed to James Steward, the famous no-maj and cofounder of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

Harry skipped past the section about MACUSA, the differences between magical and no-maj America, and the glaring differences between magical America and the UK until he reached the chapter dedicated to Ilvermorny.

_Ilvermorny, loosely based on an idyllic imagining of Hogwarts, accepts students at the age of eleven for seven years of schooling. The school sends representatives to speak to their potentional students' parents at the child's earliest instance of provable accidental magic (typically between ages five and seven). There are several magical primary schools across the country for children whose strong propensity for accidental magic precludes them from attending no-maj schools. Magical primary schools are recommended but not a prerequisite for attending Ilvermorny._

_Ilvermorny has eleven required subjects: Advanced Mathematics, Geography and World History, Law and Magical American Studies, English Composition and Literature, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defensive Magic and Warding, Astronomy, and Creature Care. Students may only drop or test out of a class with the Headmaster's permision. Regardless of attendance, students must take all eleven required subjects N.E.W.T.s exams and must obtain at least seven N.E.W.T.s sans electives to graduate._ _It is worth noting that squibs can attend and graduate from Ilvermorny although America has one of the lowest squib birthrates in the world, most squibs immigrating from intolerant countries. A few squibs have successfully passed magic-only N.E.W.T. subjects by substituting ancient runes or ritual magic for wands._

 _Ilvermorny offers at least ten electives: Ancient Runes, Occlumency, Languages, Anatomy and Healing, Alchemy, Magical Dueling , Enchantment, Wandless Magic, Arithmancy, and Divination. These are available from first year and students may select a maximum of three per year with the option to change electives each year._ _The school also boasts numerous clubs and sports, including many no-maj interests. Certain clubs that haven't met the attendance quota_ _to become permanent elective classes have optional N.E.W.T.s available regardless. Optional N.E.W.T.s include Cursebreaking, Magical Anthropology, Ritual Magic, Magical Theory, Spell Creation, No-Maj_ _Technology Science, and No-Maj Social Science._

_While students are no longer required to leave their wand at the school during holidays, they must attend at least one lecture per semester on how to blend in with no-majs and avoid risks to the Statue of Secrecy. Repelling charms, memory charms, and secrecy spells are included on their Defensive Magic and Warding N.E.W.T. and students who are unable to produce at least one spell (or ritual) in all three categories will automatically earn a failing mark. An additional topic from the N.E.W.T. is selected at random to determine a bare minimum pass or fail, forcing students to master every possible topic to the best of their ability rather than relying on a grading average. This tough stance has contributed to the world record number of students passing their Defense exam (92%) and giving Ilvermorny its deserved reputation for churning out world-famous duelists and aurors._

Harry skimmed the sections about Canada and Australia, but America was the only one with magical primary schools.

The question was how did he transfer to a school in America? Harry put the book back and tried looking for a book on emancipation (something he had only heard of from the telly and dreamed about in his cupboard). After reluctantly telling the clerk what he was looking for, Harry was holding a book about Magical Law and Contract Binding.

 _Emancipation is extremely uncommon in the Wizarding World but may be done by two methods. The slightly more common method is Disownment. This is wherein the parents or guardians create or sign a formal statement that the child or person is no longer their family or responsibility. If the parent or guardian is the Lord or Head of their family, the disowned child or person is also Disinherited which causes them to lose rights to all inheritances excluding their current monies and possessions. It is considered more acceptable for heirs to be disowned than disinherited. The second method is by Apprenticeship wherein the parents or guardian create or sign a contract with another person, usually a scholar, that states that the child or person_ _may provide services to the Master in exchange for learning and board for a set number of years after which the child or person is responsible for their ownself. It is traditional for Masters to give their Apprentice a monetary gift and a job recommendation_ _at the end of service. Squibs are often apprenticed instead of disowned because apprenticeship is seen as respectable and allows the family to obfuscate the child's magiclessness._

Harry thought about going back and having the Dursleys disown him. He was fairly certain that they'd sign because they always said he was a burden. There were only two problems that he could foresee: one, there were some witches and wizards looking for him for some reason and they were probably watching the house; two, the Dursleys were obvious no-majs and he didn't know if they could disown him legally in the wizarding world.

After looking around fruitlessly, Harry got up the courage to ask the clerk if they had a map.

Yes, they did. No, it wasn't free. Taking pity on him, the clerk asked what he was trying to find. When he said he needed a lawyer the clerk recommended Gringotts. "Wizard Lawyers rent office space from the Ministry of Magic, but you'll only want one of them for defense or divorce. For business or personal contracts, you want goblins."

Harry thanked him and made his way towards the intimidating, unusual building. He tried not to stare at the guards as he walked passed and hoped that they forgave his rudeness. The inner doors had an interesting poem inscribed on them that was not at all reassuring. The inside of the bank was opulent and Harry felt very small as he approached the counters. People appeared to be organized into distinct lines, but none of them were labeled.

Harry had just decided on the shortest line when one of the goblins that didn't have a line in front of him waved him over.

"Muggleborn?" he asked abruptly, sounding unconcerned.

"I suppose so, sir. Pardon me, but I was looking for legal advice?"

The goblin pulled out an appointment book and picked up a feather quill. "Regarding?"

"Emancipation."

"Name?"

"Harry Potter."

The goblin paused before crossing what he'd just written which disappeared. He grumbled, "Are you not aware that you have a retainer?"

"What? I mean, no sir. Does that mean my parents were witches?" Although the goblin's expression didn't change, Harry got the distinct feeling that Harry's ignorance upset him. "Sorry," Harry said reflexively.

"Follow me."

Harry followed the goblin down a long hallway and into a large office.

"Sit. Wait here."

Harry sat down in a short leather chair and waited. After five or so minutes, two goblins entered. "Mister Potter, I am Farwinkle, the Potters' Retainer," the first goblin said briskly before sitting in the chair next to Harry.

"Mister Potter, I am Grogsike, the Potter Family Account Manager," the second goblin said smoothly in a shockingly deep voice as he sat behind the desk. "Am I to understand that you are ill-informed of your heritage?"

"Um. Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Can you explain why that is?"

"Well, I grew up with my aunt and uncle who are no- um, muggles and they didn't tell me about magic. Then I ran away from them, but I noticed people who teleported and carried wands looking for me so I ran away to London. I happened to see a witch and found the Leaky Cauldron by accident."

Grogsike's expression didn't change (was that a goblin thing?) but his next question sounded furious, "These relatives of yours, did they know about magic?"

"I think so, sir."

"I see. Since finding Diagon Alley, what have you learned so far?"

"Um. Magic and everything I thought was fiction is actually real, there's a lot of prejudice in the Wizarding World, Hogwarts isn't as good a school as they claim, and America has magical primary schools. I was hoping I could get emancipated and go there?"

Grogsike nodded. "Farwinkle can see to the legal details, but before we get to that we need to discuss your personal family history and your reputation."

An hour later, Harry staggered out of Gringotts with a Provisionary Emancipation document in his pocket. Sleep first, think later, he promised himself as he went back to the Leaky Cauldron.

The next morning Harry woke up to someone knocking furiously on the door. Panicked, Harry ducked into the bathroom and locked that door as well as he tried to decide whether he should teleport away. After a few minutes, the knocking was accompanied by incomprehensible yelling. Just as he started to focus on a destination, the yelling cut off and there was a different knock on the door.

"It's Tom. Just so you know, I've thrown the Snape fellow out and Professor McGonagall's left a note for you. I'll leave it on the tray with your breakfast."

Harry listened carefully before he dared fetch the tray from the hall.

_Mister Potter,_

_My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are most concerned that you have run away from your relatives' house. I apologize for my colleague's inexcusable behavior. We wish to speak with you in regards to the Dursleys' reprehensible treatment of you so that we may begin planning for your care and safety. Please send me an owl at your earliest convenience._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Harry wondered why Hogwarts was sending its professors to plan his 'care and safety'? Since he didn't want to get roped into attending Hogwarts, Harry decided to ignore the letter.

Farwinkle had been able to temporarily get Harry emancipated by some sort of loophole since Harry's guardians were never approved by his parents' executor in accordance with his parents' wills. After thirty days his temporary emancipation would expire at which point he had to nominate a guardian to be approved by the executor (Farwinkle). However, since his parents wills had been sealed, the Ministry would be forced to unseal them in order for Farwinkle to approve anyone by interpreting his parents' wishes. If a guardian was not appointed by Farwinkle and approved by the Ministry within sixty days from the _start_ of the initial thirty day period, Harry's emancipation would be considered 'uncontested' and it would become permanent.

Farwinkle had advised him on how to fill out the emancipation form to the Ministry in terrible calligraphy. If you knew that it claimed 'Harry James Potter', then it was clear to see. Someone just glancing at it, however, might mistakenly believe it said 'Marny Jane Patten'. This way when he filed to nominate a new guardian (exactly on day thirty) the Ministry would be unlikely to have noticed the previously-filed emancipation and the thirty days left to the deadline would slip by the slow-moving bureaucracy (especially since Farwinkle would wait to file his motion to unseal the wills until Harry's first guardianship hearing). It was a crafty plan that would never work if the Ministry had required triplicate copies and unambiguous print as non-magical paperwork did.

The plan for permanent emancipation rather than having the Dursleys disown him had the benefit that no one could ever place him with a different guardian over his objections or force him to attend Hogwarts. The downside to the plan was that he had to avoid anyone realizing that he was currently temporarily emancipated which meant that he either had to go along with whatever the Ministry or Hogwarts decided (even if that was returning to the Dursleys) or he had to avoid getting caught. Harry definitely preferred the second option.

Harry and Farwinkle had discussed at length the best way to hide. Unfortunately, the Ministry and Hogwarts could both trace 'accidental' magic (including his teleportation). There was also some sort of unremovable blood-based tracking charm on him. In order to avoid getting caught he would have to either stay on the move constantly or hide behind powerful wards. After the goblins discussed his situation with the Bank Manager, Harry was offered a solution: his vault.

No one had ever tried to live in their own vault before. In addition to wards and other personalised security measures, it was also Gringott's policy to escort customers to and from their vault. He would be unable to leave his vault unless a goblin fetched him. Having received permission from the Bank Manager, Grogsike gave Harry one of the goblins' appointment books. Front desk goblins used these to schedule appointments, but they could not see anyone else's writing, instead blocks of color indicated which time slots were unavailable. Harry would use his own copy to schedule his trips out of his vault as needed.

Grogsike had advised him to stay at the Leaky Cauldron and then let people see him leave through the muggle side before he teleported back to the bank. He would also need to do some shopping and the goblins surmised that his purchases would quickly be public knowledge if he shopped in Diagon Alley.

Harry quickly finished his breakfast and skipped down to tell Tom that he was leaving.

"You haven't written Professor McGonagall, have you?" Tom guessed shrewdly. "I don't pretend to guess at what's going on, but you might let the Professor know you're well. She was in a right state. She was quite close to your mother, considered her the daughter she never had."

Harry struggled for a moment, feeling guilty, before he remembered how much he used to wish that someone would come and take him from the Dursleys. If she had really cared, why hadn't she?

"I don't know anything about my mother, sir, except that my aunt hated her. If she was close to anyone, they never checked in on me," Harry said stubbornly.

Tom sighed. "My apologies, Mister Potter. I don't know why she wouldn't have contacted you or checked on you. I can only hope that she had a good reason, but you don't owe her or me anything. The truth is we all owe you and your family a debt that can never be paid," the old man said with tears in his eyes.

Harry felt awkward and didn't know what to say. Eventually Tom pulled himself together and wished him luck.

Harry quickly escaped into muggle London and hailed a taxi, pulling out a long shopping list written by Farwinkle and Grogsike. The first stop was to buy furniture. Apparently the magical world had tents that could expand to include full-size rooms but they were pretty costly. He could spend a small fortune (by no-maj standards) buying furniture, new clothes, glasses, and groceries in the muggle world and still not match the price of the smallest magical tent in the wizarding world. Farwinkle had advised him to buy muggle furniture as if he was living in a small apartment instead of his vault. They could easily charm electricity or plumbing for him and he could take it all to America with him by using shrinking charms. While he shopped, Farwinkle would be busy picking up his purchases and ferrying them back to the vault where Grogsike was busy reorganizing his money to one side in order to make room.

Harry had at first protested that he didn't need them to go to such lengths, but both goblins stubbornly pointed out that all their services were already paid for and they had even been paid when he had been stuck at the Dursleys even as they had no way to help him before he came to Gringotts. Neither goblin planned to mention that most wizards would never warrant personal advice from a goblin, let alone assistance by goblin hands. Tom wasn't the only one who recognized the debt owed to the Potter family.

Harry quickly started to pick out furniture with the ruthless efficiency of someone who only cared for function. The salesperson, after verifying that he had a valid credit card and emancipation, quickly ferreted out his selection method and started steering him towards quality furniture that would last longer. Harry quickly did the math and let the salesman ring him up. The result was that he had handsome multi-function furniture ideal for small apartment living and he'd still managed to spend less than an hour in the shop. Leaving Farwinkle's no-maj business card so he could pick everything up, Harry hurried to his next destination.

Deciding to take the same tact, Harry let the salesperson pick out his clothes. Since they had measured him first he didn't need to try anything on. He had only requested one outfit that he could change into on the spot so that he could throw Dudley's old clothes away. In less than fifteen minutes Harry left the store in brand new clothes and shoes. An hour later, he had a pair of rimless glasses and multiple packs of different contact lenses in a bag (he'd been unable to resist buying colored contacts when he found out about them).

Having an idea half-formed in his mind, Harry also stopped at a beauty salon and bought their strongest hair products and some make up for his scar. He wasn't really sure it would work, but when Harry saw the scarless, blue-eyed boy with slightly curly hair (he'd given up on flattening it completely) wearing neat glasses and new clothes he honestly didn't recognize himself.

Some time later Harry carried his bags of groceries outside before he found a spot to teleport to the appointment waiting room in Gringotts. This was the only place in the bank without anti-apparition wards although the wards would react quite violently if someone didn't have an appointment within a set time. When Harry entered Grogsike's office down the hall, the goblin looked up and then reached for the dagger on his desk.

"Mister Potter?" he asked suspiciously.

Harry had been hoping to see the goblin make a facial expression, but couldn't help feeling proud of himself as he gleefully affirmed his identity.

"A muggle disguise," Grogsike mused, "I hadn't thought of it myself, but it would add an extra layer of protection to you. Most wizards underestimate muggles and are nearly completely ignorant of muggle ingenuity. I daresay an auror could walk passed you none the wiser."

Grogsike showed Harry to his vault where Farwinkle had already set up all the furniture, including the mirrored french folding screens Harry had bought to enclose the bathroom area. Harry eyed the arrangement with satisfaction. The small bathroom was in the corner furthest from the vault door. Beside it was bedroom area which was dominated by a queen size chest bed. The bed had drawers underneath on each side and a bookshelf built into the headboard. All of his new clothes were placed in the drawers on one side and Harry doubted he'd need a separate wardrobe. He also had a combination bookshelf-desk that was placed at the foot at the bed (doubling as a privacy screen). Then he had a small sitting room consisting of comfortable wooden table and chair pieces that could extend or fold up. The rest of the space was taken up by his nearly full-size kitchen.

He made sure to thank Grogsike and Farwinkle by inviting them to tea in his new vault apartment. He had picked up quite a variety of biscuits at the store since he wasn't sure what goblins preferred. Grogsike expressed disappointment that chocolate fingers did not contain any actual fingers (hopefully this was a joke) and liked the very strong ginger biscuit. Farwinkle refused to try any sort of chocolate but seemed to like hobnobs. Thankfully, both goblins agreed that the plain black tea was very good even if it wasn't grog.

Harry went to bed very content, blissfully unaware of how much chaos his disappearance would cause the wizarding world.


	2. Circumstance and consequence

The **Pygmalion effect** is the phenomenon whereby others' expectations of a target person affect the target person's performance. The opposite of the pygmalion effect is the golem effect, in which low expectations lead to a decrease in performance; both are forms of self-fulfilling prophecy.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall frowned as Severus Snape continued to have a tantrum and her old mentor did nothing to put a cork in it. She was slowly losing her respect for Albus Dumbledore since the moment she saw the small cot in the cupboard that Harry Potter had been forced to sleep in. She was also angry with herself for letting him leave the boy there and allowing him to dissuade and distract her from ever checking up on him.

"We had him cornered! If the old cat hadn't left him at the Leaky Cauldron-" Snape shouted.

Minerva palmed her wand, "We aren't hunting the poor boy! If we had tried to force him out I have no doubts Tom would've _thrown_ the both of us out," she hissed furiously. Snape turned red at the reminder of how he'd been violently flung down the stairs, wandlessly, by the wizened innkeeper. "Perhaps if you hadn't scared him, Mister Potter would have spoken with us."

She noticed Albus nodding sagely and turned her wand on him. "If you hadn't left him with the Dursleys, whom I warned you about, the boy wouldn't be missing now," she said coldly.

"Now, Minerva-"

"Keep Severus away from the search, Albus," Minerva threatened. "If either of you does anything to that boy, I will resign," she said as she swept out of the office. 'If I don't bloody murder you,' she thought privately.

It had only been two days since they had tracked Harry Potter to The Leaky Cauldron, but the trail had since gone cold. The boy hadn't responded to her letter and all Tom would tell them was that he had run off into muggle London. Even Albus' tracking spell was of no use.

Albus had reluctantly informed the Ministry that Harry was missing. It was unfortunate, but necessary since they could not possibly search effectively with so few people.

The Minister had, predictably, blown his top. Minerva had no doubts that Albus would have to do some heavy political maneuvering to keep the boy's custody in his hands and out of reach of people like Lucius Malfoy. Although if he really meant to put Harry back at the Dursleys, Minerva would take the boy away herself.

Diagon Alley was a different beast after the story broke in The Daily Prophet. Minerva was jostled several times despite her reputation and foreboding aura. Witches and wizards could talk about nothing else than the Boy-Who-Lived and his shocking disappearance. Many of the folk were already demanding the Minister's resignation and Minerva nearly let it drop that Albus Dumbledore was responsible for the catastrophe. She was confident they would sniff it out for themselves soon enough.

She briskly walked up to an open teller and pinned him with her gaze.

"This is an important letter for Mister Potter," she said with her best no-nonsense tone, "Please ensure that he receives it."

Minerva left it on the counter and forced herself to walk away.

Albus had already dismissed the possibility that the boy had any help from the goblins. They were neutral, foul-tempered, and Albus had Harry's key. Minerva, however, believed differently. The goblins may have been neutral in the sense that they hadn't fought in the war, but that was more likely due to the treaties between the goblins and the Ministry than true neutrality. Neither the Ministry nor the Order had ever tried to recruit them as far as she knew. If Voldemort had won the goblins would have been eradicated. Minerva thought that raised the chance of them helping the boy by quite a number, not to mention how they would've felt if they discovered his personal situation and total ignorance of his parents to the extent of not even knowing their names let alone their world (something that had certainly enraged her). Minerva had asked Filius his opinion and not only did he agree that the goblins _would_ help the Boy-Who-Lived, he also informed her that keys were only given to customers because they were expected and not because they were actually needed. The goblins had many methods of identifying proper vault owners and authorizing their access. She thought Albus was being stupid when he assumed that _he_ knew what the goblins would or wouldn't do and Filius had clinched it for her.

She also couldn't come up with any other feasible theories for how Harry could block their abilities to track him. There were very few wizarding homes in London, none of which were currently occupied, and the Ministry had already had them checked. She supposed the boy could've apparated to another place with wards, but how could he know such a place? The only places he'd reportedly been were The Leaky Cauldron, Flourish and Blotts, and Gringotts.

Admittingly, they had no idea how he'd known about Diagon Alley. Albus was convinced that a witch or wizard had gotten to Harry before they had and had taken the boy to London. The Headmaster was trying to organize a list of anyone who would've had an interest in Harry and could've found his location (thankfully the wards would have kept Death Eaters and other unsavory types away from the entire area).

Minerva thought that she had gotten quite familiar with the trace of the boy's magic and after speaking with the boy's cousin, she was certain that he was apparating solo, something that her colleagues found impossible to believe. She also believed that Tom would've instantly noticed if anyone had followed the boy or spoken to him.

She could only hope that Harry would reach out to her before anyone else got their hands on him, physically or legally.

_Mister Potter,_

_I am deeply sorry for any distress that we may have caused you. I know that you have no reason to trust anyone, but I promise you that I will never allow anyone to take you back to your relatives or abuse you. I feel partly responsible for your welfare as I was a close second to be your godmother_ _. Regardless of what you must think of me, please know that I would swear an Unbreakable Vow to help you in any way that you require._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Harry read the letter again carefully before he looked at Farwinkle. "What's an Unbreakable Vow?"

"An Unbreakable Vow is a verbal, binding magical contract one wizard can swear to another with a third party acting as the Bonder. The vow usually comes in three parts and has terrible consequences. If the first part is broken, both parties will immediately feel it quite painfully. If the second part is broken, the person under the vow will lose their magic. That person will die instantly if they fully break their vow."

Harry grimaced. He definitely didn't want anyone swearing an Unbreakable Vow to him. It would be cruel. It sounded as though McGonagall was serious about helping him though. Harry was still hesitant to allow someone connected to Hogwarts anywhere near him.

"Who is my godmother?"

Grogsike and Farwinkle appeared to communicate nonverbally with some sort of impromptu height-posturing contest before Farwinkle, the apparent loser, answered him. "Dorcas Meadowes, your mother's friend and your godfather's fiance, was your godmother. She was killed by Voldemort a few weeks before your parents were betrayed," Farwinkle seemed to collect himself before continuing, "Your godfather, Sirius Black, is in Azkaban for that betrayal and other supposed crimes although he never received a trial."

Harry absorbed this and made the connection quickly. "Is that why you need the wills unsealed?"

If Farwinkle was a less-respected Goblin he would have smiled at the boy.

"Your parents named their Secret Keeper and betrayer in their wills but as long as they remain sealed I am unable to reveal that person's identity."

Harry was less impressed by wizards each day. "Why didn't my godfather get a trial? Why were my parents' wills sealed?"

Grogsike leaned forward, "Any scrap of information about you or your whereabouts could have potentially put you in grave danger since many of Voldemort's followers were either never caught or bribed their way out of their arrests. Albus Dumbledore was the de facto leader of the Light and he somehow claimed responsibility for your safety. He placed you with the Dursleys and had the wills sealed in the same night just hours after your parents died. He wasn't directly responsible for your godfather not receiving a trial, but he had the power to demand a trial and chose not to."

"Even if he thought he was protecting you, it's inexcusable," Farwinkle added, "and his motives are suspect."

The three of them sat in somber silence as Harry imagined a life where his parents' wills had been rightfully read and his godfather had raised him in the wizarding world. Although then he would've definitely ended up at Hogwarts and Harry was adamant that the barely-accredited school was the last place he wanted to be.

Deciding not to worry, Harry focused on his immediate plans. "Do you think I could go to the bookstore?"

Minerva had intimidated the clerk (a former Hufflepuff) as much as she dared and finally held at least one of the books that Harry had looked at. Minerva was certain the clerk knew more, but she wasn't prepared to push him further when he had no obligation to tell her anything and apparently had no small amount of loyalty to the Boy-Who-Lived.

As she began reading, she quickly understood why the clerk had smirked at her and told her about this book. A Muggleborn's Introduction to Magic thoroughly bashed the wizarding world, the Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts. Minerva noted the smart remark pointed at the Deputy Head _mistress_ and had no doubts that one of the muggleborns she had formerly taught had anonymously authored the book.

When introducing muggleborns to the wizarding world, she was not allowed to tell them what the consequences were for dropping out of the school after the mandatory first year. She also could not tell them about schools outside of the UK. Even worse, she had been unable to warn them about what they would face in the way of prejudice (even during the war). She often thought about each muggleborn and their families that had disappeared without a trace, either captured by Voldemort's followers or irreversibly obliviated by the Ministry. She had introduced them to the wizarding world and so she had felt responsible for their loss. Truthfully, in the last two decades few muggleborns had graduated from Hogwarts despite the fact that muggleborns made up almost one-third of the wizarding population in Britain. She had always assumed that they left because of the prejudice, but now she wondered how many had believed that Hogwarts wasn't a quality school.

She had not known about the statistics published plainly in the book, nor the bit about the Acceptable-grade testing standards being lowered, but Minerva could easily believe what she was reading. How many times had she criticised Albus about his hiring decisions? She ought to throw him off of the Astronomy tower. Or the Divination tower. _Two out of eleven students_ _passed their Divination N.E.W.T. last year?!_

If the book could be trusted, last year's graduating students had only attempted six N.E.W.T.s on average and had passed five or fewer. Only nine students (out of a class of fifty) had achieved seven or more N.E.W.T.s and only three of those had Outstandings in all their selected exams with merely one student achieving a perfect twelve, something students used to obsess over in her schooldays (with ten students succeeding in her own graduating class, including herself). Out of all subjects, Potions and Divination were tied for the lowest N.E.W.T. scores but Divination had a slightly higher attendance. Minerva noticed that three of the Potions students (Ravenclaws) had _not_ attempted their N.E.W.T., deferring it for a year. Several students that had not elected to take Potions their seventh year had also signed up for a deferred exam (they had aspirations of becoming aurors and healers, she realized). The two passes coincidentally belonged to the only two Slytherin students in attendance. Minerva was not surprised that DADA was hardly any better with a different professor each year. On average, only a handful of students received a DADA N.E.W.T. Interestingly, the entire Ravenclaw house appeared to be deferring the DADA exam for the past six years running. In a word, Hogwarts was a _disaster_.

She had decided to buy a few copies of the book (one for each Head of House and one for the Headmaster) when she felt something familiar brush against her magic. She stood still for a moment before a young dark-haired boy brushed past her. At first, she didn't believe it was Harry since the boy didn't look a thing like Harry's description, but she happened to see the clerk startle at his appearance and was convinced.

Moving quickly (before the clerk could hex her as Hufflepuffs were prone to react) she intercepted the boy and introduced herself.

"Mister Potter, I am Minerva McGonagall. If you would be willing to speak with me, I would greatly appreciate it. You may send an owl to me at any time to schedule a meeting when you are ready," she said briskly before she nodded at the boy and then continued on her way to the counter. The clerk glared at her, but followed to ring her up.

"Are you buying those?"

Minerva startled. She hadn't noticed the boy following as well. "Yes. I am quite shocked by some of the data in this book. I have every intention of bringing the matter up to my colleagues."

Harry chewed his lip and stared slightly off to side, "I'm not going to Hogwarts," he said mulishly.

Minerva nearly laughed at him, despite the pang she felt at those words. He looked very much like James and expressed himself like Lily. "I understand. I may not go back to Hogwarts either if certain things remain the same," she said conspiratorially.

Harry eyed her suspiciously. "I suppose I could meet with you," he allowed.

"Excellent. Perhaps we could meet for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron if that is acceptable to you?" Minerva could see that she had surprised him, but he quickly agreed. She smiled as he wandered off into the store.

The clerk cleared his throat, "I've applied two separate times and _twice_ Dumbledore hired a pureblood to teach Muggle Studies."

"Would you happen to know any hexes that would twist the old man's beard?" she asked jokingly to which he nodded earnestly.

' _Hufflepuffs,'_ she thought to herself _._

Harry kept his eye on McGonagall as he pretended to amble aimlessly. Once she left, Harry spun around and started picking up what he'd come for. He quickly found other thin books of similar design peppered throughout the shop that he'd figured were probably written by muggleborns and added them to the introductory books he was interested in.

"These two are mine," the clerk said conversationally over Muggles Who Notice and Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. "Bill Wagstaff is a known muggleborn but those pseudonyms could plausibly be purebloods or at least half-bloods," he explained with a self-deprecating smile, "You should buy Tonks' book if you're interested in comparing the muggle world to the wizarding world. He's usually a ghostwriter," Bill the bookshop clerk said, summoning a book called My Life as a Muggle into his hand and banishing Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles back to its shelf.

"I guess-"

"He's written any autobiography worth reading as well as a few of Hogwarts' _standard_ textbooks. On a completely _unrelated_ note, I recommend this book as well," he said meaningfully as he placed a book called Hairy Snout, Human Heart on the counter.

Harry frowned. "Thanks," he said slowly. "Would you happen to know who wrote A Muggleborn's Introduction to Magic?"

He hesitated, glancing around the shop before answering. "Eliana Croaker, I believe. She was expelled from Hogwarts in her fourth year for cursing a sixth-year prefect so badly that he may not be able to have children," Bill said darkly. "Her brother being magical as well is what saved her and her parents from being obliviated although according to rumor it was a near thing. She finished school at Ilvermorny, but I hear she's back in Britain. Even so, I doubt she'll ever feel safe to permanently settle down here."

Harry didn't miss Bill's meaning and left the shop trying to shake the horrifying thoughts from his mind. Needing a distraction, Harry decided to browse the Magical Menagerie.

Harry quickly forgot what had upset him as he watched a strange creature adeptly avoid the desperate attempts of the young shop clerk to capture it. The clerk was making a wreck of the place as he tried to catch the strange platypus. Harry looked at the cage it had obviously escaped from and saw an abandoned pile of fake coins. Taking a guess, Harry pulled out a sickle and sat on the floor. Within seconds, the platypus was in his lap and nearly knicked the coin straight from his hand. "Nope. You have to stay still," Harry said. When the platypus had stopped squirming and chittering, Harry gave it the coin.

"You won't get that back. Nifflers are mad for shiny things, especially coins," the clerk said.

"I gave it to him. He can keep it."

"Thanks," the clerk said sourly, glaring at the small trouble-making creature.

Harry had a hard time leaving the shop as the niffler was reluctant to loosen its grip on his fingers and stared up at him with a cute, beseeching expression. "I'll be back," Harry finally promised it. He had picked up a few books about magical creatures and could read up on nifflers before he committed to keeping a thieving creature with him in his vault full of gold.

He still had awhile before he had to meet McGonagall so Harry continued to explore the shops, passing by Ollivanders without hesitation. Grogsike had already explained that no one would give a wand to a child under the age of eleven. Until then, Grogsike suggested that Harry focus on the way he teleported and work on doing other things with his magic. Wandless magic, the goblin claimed, was something every wizard was capable of mastering, if only they weren't stupid and undisciplined. Harry was inclined to agree, having already read that Ilvermorny offered an elective class for it while Hogwarts didn't. He'd also read that MACUSA held apparition (teleportation) classes during the summer and offered permits at age thirteen for side-along, limited licenses at age fifteen for solo apparition, and a full license at age sixteen for long-distance apparition. Most jobs in magical America required employees to have one type of apparition license and even squibs could manage it (although they were advised not to attempt long-distance apparition). Hogwarts, on the other hand, waited until sixth year to begin apparition lessons and less than half of British wizards obtained their apparition license, relying mainly on floo travel. Harry had already mastered solo apparition easily and, judging by that, he hoped he wouldn't rely on a wand one bit by the time he took his N.E.W.T. exams.

Quality Quidditch Supplies he gave a miss since Ilvermorny was more into something called Quodpot. Besides, he didn't know how to fly and he'd rather not attempt to learn on his own. He browsed a secondhand bookshop, but they didn't have anything he hadn't already seen in Flourish and Blott's. He wasn't impressed by much else in the alley and was considering Knockturn Alley when someone bumped into him and knocked him to the ground.

"Blimey! Didn' see yeh there!" A giant man picked up carefully and set him on his feet before Harry could respond.

"That's alright. Thank you," Harry said, dusting himself off at bit. The giant was still standing there, staring at him a bit expectantly. "Um, nice to meet you, Mister..?"

"Call me Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts," Hagrid claimed proudly. His face suddenly fell into a frown. "Yeh weren' thinkin' a goin' down Knockturn Alley? Tha's no place for a kid," he said matter-of-factly.

"No, of course not," Harry denied. "Just on my way to The Leaky Cauldron."

Hagrid looked like he'd suddenly thought of something. Before Harry could panic, thinking he'd been recognised, he spoke, "Yer not muggleborn, are yeh? Yeh shouldn' be wanderin' on yer own," the man warned.

"Oh. Well, I'm meeting Deputy Headmistress McGonagall in a bit."

Hagrid looked unsatisfied by his answer. "Yeh should always stick with a witch or wizard. There's vampires, hags, and some folks tha' used to be followers of You-Know-Who. Yeh'd be safe in the shops for sure, but not just wanderin' around alone. Or even with yer parents. Yeh need to have a guide with yeh."

Harry was a little surprised that someone from Hogwarts even bothered warning a supposed muggleborn. "Well, how is anyone else able to tell if I'm a muggleborn?"

"Vampires could probably tell what from yer soaps an' muggle chem-icky smells. Hags won' care except for grabbing any child what they can. Them that do tha'. Not all hags or vampires would, known a few good ones meself, but yeh got to be careful. An' the purebloods all know each other, most of 'em related. The wizardin' world is small enough tha' everyone knows everyone just about. So anyone tha' doesn' know yeh will assume yer muggleborn."

"I see. Well, I'm sure that I'll be alright. I'll just head to the Leaky Cauldron now."

"I'll walk yeh over," Hagrid insisted.

"When Professor McGonagall takes yeh to get a wand," the giant said thoughtfully (really? Did he look eleven at his height and weight?) "Yeh can summon the Knight Bus. Ah, tha's magical transportation. Only need a wand for it- just throw yer arm out holdin' it. The Knight Bus can go anywhere on the mainland and tha' includes the alley or inside buildings- special charms make it fit an' keep muggles from noticin'. If yeh run into any trouble, they'll get yeh out real quick. They got a lot of families out." Hagrid didn't elaborate.

"Thanks for the advice," Harry said seriously.

Hagrid brightened, "O' course. An' yeh'll have nothin' to worry about at Hogwarts. Safest place in the world with Dumbledore as headmaster. Great man, Dumbledore."

"Right," Harry said, privately disagreeing.

Hagrid opened the passage for them with a pink umbrella and ushered him into the Leaky Cauldron, immediately pointing out two hags and three vampires to Harry. To Harry's dismay, two of the vampires looked like regular wizards to him, but Hagrid seemed very sure about it. Harry decided he'd have to be more cautious.

Luckily, Harry was able to wave Hagrid off at the bar before going over to McGonagall where she was waiting at a booth. He didn't want the man learning his true identity.

"I see you've met Hagrid."

"He thinks I'm a muggleborn and that it's not safe for me to walk around the alley."

Minerva startled. Well, it was true that she escorted the muggleborns herself and she got their parents outfitted with robes, but surely the groundskeeper was exaggerating the danger- although, if anything, Hagrid was one to underestimate danger. Perhaps she would have to get his perspective.

"Well, with your ability to apparate you shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as you don't go near Knockturn Alley and the war has been over for almost a decade," Minerva said more confidently than she felt.

Harry let it go. "What was it that you wanted to discuss?"

"I assume that Gringotts has something to do with where you've been staying, but you need a more permanent solution such as a new guardian,"

"That's already being handled," Harry said abruptly.

Minerva could see that he wasn't going to say anything else about it. "Then perhaps you should tell me what I can do for you, Mr. Potter?"

"Maybe you could tell me more about my parents?"

After exhausting two hours telling the boy about James and Lily, Minerva returned to Hogwarts. She conjured her patronus and sent it ahead of her to request an emergency staff meeting. Albus was waiting for her when she reached the castle.

"Did you call the staff together, Albus?"

"They are waiting for us in the staff room. Perhaps you could tell me what this meeting is for, Minerva?"

"I have reason to believe that Mr. Potter may refuse to attend Hogwarts!"

Albus staggered in shock and Minerva quickly out-paced him to reach the staff room first. It was only two days into summer and all of the teaching staff were still present except their unfortunate Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who had abandoned the post two months ago (not that anyone could blame the man after the tragic accident that nearly took his life).

Minerva stood by the podium and waited for Albus to be seated. As soon as she had everyone's attention, she brought out the books she had purchased, sending four copies to Albus, Filius, Pomona, and Severus. Her own copy she transfigured into a blackboard - the details she wished to talk about were now reiterated in chalk form.

Several cries of disbelief and dismay resounded as they absorbed what she was showing them. Even Sybill looked horrified.

"As you can see, Hogwarts is not the premier school that we have foolishly believed it to be."

"Minerva, clearly this data must be exaggerated and even if it were not-"

"Don't try to excuse this, Albus. You had to have known that Hogwarts has failed to meet the ICW standard," Minerva practically hissed. "Some of these problems have been inherited from your predecessor, I will grant you, but I expect you to take steps to correct those issues now."

"How do you propose that I do that within the budget, let alone the Board of Governors' approval for all the changes needed?"

Minerva barely kept the derision out of her voice as she replied, "The Board's approval is technically only required for allocating the budget. Although it is customary to inform the Board of everything and accept their recommendations, it isn't a requirement. I'm certain that you can phrase things in such a way to get the funds approved." She continued thoughtfully, "As to the issue of limited funds, perhaps we could rent out the castle."

"Absolutely not-"

"I think it's a wonderful idea!" Pomona exclaimed. "We could allow people to get married on the grounds!"

"Or host a school reunion," Filius added his opinion. "I know we used to have such things."

"Certain people may be offended by such obvious fund-raising efforts. It may also offend the Ministry and hurt our annual budget-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Albus. I also think we need to hire a Curse-Breaker," Minerva stated.

"Impossible," Albus declared. "I am already aware of the source of the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Unfortunately, it cannot be undone unless the castor is apprehended as only their wand can remove the spell without fatal consequences. Otherwise, I would have been able to remove it myself. I am afraid that the curse will remain and each new hire will be affected. We can only do our best to mitigate any potentially lethal affects of the curse."

"The curse is specifically focused on the hiring of a new Defense professor?" Filius questioned.

"Yes."

"Perhaps you should stop hiring a new professor for the position," Filius suggested logically. "Instead, a few of the _current_ faculty could _substitute_ a few classes. You could then hire an Assistant Professor to take over a few of our classes in turn."

Everyone blinked in shock. If it worked, it was quite genius. Minerva knew that they could certainly pull off the faculty substitution. She herself had been a Ministry informant and had gone through auror-level training. Filius had been a five-time world-wide dueling champion. Severus had always desired the Defense position and was the resident expert on the Dark Arts. Quirinus was quite the expert on Defense theory and was undeniably skilled with a wand. Septima and Pomona were both exceptionally competent in the subject as well. The only issue would be finding a potential Assistant Professor who was well-versed in _all_ of their respective subjects.

"A new History of Magic professor is needed as well," Minerva prompted.

The conversation cycled through many issues that she had discovered. When it came to certain subjects, she handled it as delicately as she could. Sybill was still too shocked to take offense when Minerva proposed that the staff review all subjects' syllabuses together and form a new comprehensive curriculum. Severus, on the other hand, was defensive and offended without her even saying anything. Only the aspect of being allowed to teach some of the Defense classes kept him from completely loosing his temper on them. Although she _would_ be having a private word with Albus later regarding his behavior and conduct.

At the end of the meeting she was quite satisfied with their plans. Perhaps Hogwarts' reputation was salvageable.

She should have expected the harassment for her off-hand comment. While she didn't want to lie, she wasn't certain that anyone (especially Albus) should learn of Harry's whereabouts until the boy's guardianship situation had been handled. Although she described her interrogation of the clerk and asserted her assumption that anyone who had read such harsh but painfully accurate data would reject Hogwarts, the headmaster did not seem convinced. Minerva was disgruntled by his (correct) suspicion as it meant she would not be able to see the boy again as soon as she'd like.

Minerva considered the day a victory overall even though she very much doubted any changes to Hogwarts now would sway Lily and James' son from his adamant refusal.

As she retired for the evening she realised that she had quite forgotten to ask Hagrid why he thought muggleborns were unsafe in Diagon Alley.


End file.
